


Black or White

by GoldieM_James



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-12 02:53:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11152725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldieM_James/pseuds/GoldieM_James
Summary: I originally posted this story as "Congo" some time last year but I wasn't happy with it. I went through it and started editing it until it became something that I was actually proud of writing. As I stated when I first posted this,  this is a very controversial topic and is in no way meant to defame or demonize white people. This story takes places during the time of segregation in the south and according to my sources (my grandparents that lived it and experienced it) this is how things were. I apologize in advanced if anything offends you but I do not apologize for the message and the story that I am conveying.





	Black or White

Desi woke up to the sound of her mother singing from the kitchen. The sun was peeking through the sheer curtains in her room, somewhat blinding her. She sat up in her bed and twisted the end of her ebony plaits and sighed. Another day, another nickel. She stood up, her thick cotton night gown sweeping across the floor, and pulled her curtains apart. The sun was beating down on the garden in the back of her house.  
If you want to call it a house. It was a small three bedroom shack with a metal roof, wooden walls, and no color. Mr. Jones, the man they rented from, was adamant on no painting in the house. What would blacks need with a decent house?

“Jesus keep me near the cross”

Desi’s mother, Imani, had a beautiful voice. Every morning she would sweep the dust from the ugly yellow tile in the kitchen. With the back door wide open, Desi was sure the neighbors could hear her. The houses were mighty close in their neighborhood in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  
Desi walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. Imani had the table set with for four instead of two. It was the good dishes. Not the normal set up. Desi wondered who was coming to visit.  
Imani wasn’t dressed in her normal dresses and white apron either. The sunset orange dress that adorned her skin contrasted beautifully with her chocolate brown skin. Her wavy hair sat on her shoulders, pulled away from her face.

“Mama, who’s comin’ today?”  
“My new boss. Do me a favor an’ get the biscuits started sugar”  
“Sure thing mama”

Desi pulled a pan out of the bottom cabinet. She the grabbed the flour, eggs, butter, milk, and shortening and put them next to the stove. She took the matches from the drawer next to the sink and lit the oven.

“What happened to Mr. an’ Mrs. Wallace?” Desi asked.  
“Mr. Wallace lost his job an’ can’t afford me no more. Mrs. Wallace told me she had a friend that could use a maid an’ gave her my name. Her friend will be comin’ over soon”

Imani put the broom outside of the door. She grabbed a bag of grits and eggs from the refrigerator. Desi helped her mother in the kitchen before she shooed her out to go and get dressed in her best dress. She opened her chifforobe and pulled out her Sunday go-to-meeting dress. It was white with lace trim that stopped just under her knees. She took down her plaits and ran her fingers through her hair.  
She opened one of the many drawers and put on her white button shoes. Even at sixteen, her mother insisted she where those. Apparently she wasn’t ready for heels yet. She took a look in the mirror. She caught her chocolate brown eyes in her reflection and smiled. Her eyes were the only thing she inherited from her mother. Her father was a rich white man who lived close to the French Quarter. Her mother worked for him and every night he found his way to her mother’s living quarters. When Imani turned up pregnant, his wife tossed her out.  
Imani was “lucky to not be shot and killed for such betrayal”. Even though it was her husband who took her. Imani gave birth to Desi in her mother’s house on a sweltering day in June. Desi was the most beautiful, fair-skinned baby Imani has ever seen.  
Desi never questioned about her father or his absence. She had her mother and her grandparents and that’s all she needed. Her mother was an only child but she did have a good friend, Malcolm, who stepped in as a brother to Imani. Uncle Malcolm. He lived in Georgia with his girlfriend Bonita. He came to visit often though.  
Desi heard her mother open the front door and greet their visitors. Imani called her name and told her to come out of her room. Desi skipped from her bedroom and into the living room. The blonde-haired woman sat on the pale blue couch facing a way from Desi. There was also a tall blond boy sitting next to her.

“Mrs. Hemmings, this is my daughter Desi” Imani beamed.  
“Desi? Is that short for somethin’?” Mrs. Hemmings asked.  
“Just Desi, ma’am” Imani explained  
“Desi. That’s such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl”

Desi felt her face heat up as Mrs. Hemmings looked over her body. She motioned for her to come over to them. Desi slowly stepped around the couch. Her breath hitched when she looked the boy in the face.  
His eyes were a beautiful ocean blue. He bit down on his pink lips and smiled at Desi. She examined his white button up shirt, pressed navy-blue slacks, and black shoes. She could swear she saw herself in them. He stood up and extended his hand to her.

“Hello, I’m Luke”  
“Desi”  
“Well breakfast will be ready in a few, please make yourselves at home” Imani offered.

Imani hurried into the kitchen, leaving Desi in the living room with the Hemmings family. Mrs. Hemmings asked her a ton of questions about her schooling, her life, and her social activities. She seemed sincerely interested in the stories of fishing trips at the lake with her friends, Yellow Jack, Othella, Boon, and Ruby. They usually go fishing every Friday. It’s what Desi looked forward to every week.

“Breakfast is ready” Imani called from the kitchen.

Desi led them into the kitchen. Imani was pouring coffee into the mugs that sat on the table. Luke pulled out the chairs for each woman and pushed them back once that sat down.

“Quite a gentleman” Imani acknowledged.  
“Thank you. Andy and I try to make sure we raise our boys correctly”  
“How many children do you have Mrs. Hemmings?”  
“Please, call me Liz. We have three amazing boys” she practically sighed.  
“Is this little angel your only child?” Luke asked.  
“Why yes she is. Desi is my first an’ only baby” Imani stated.  
“You are beautiful young lady Desi. How old are you?” Liz asked.  
“I’m sixteen years old ma’am”  
“So is my Luke here. I hope you two can be good friends” Liz clapped her hands.  
“That sounds like a good idea”

The conversation at the table remained pleasant. It’s as if they were conversing with friends and not her mother’s new employer. Liz beamed at the idea of having Imani work around the house. While their house was plain, it remained clean. Liz told Imani that she would start work the following day. Imani smiled and continuously thanked Liz. The Hemmings stood from the table and headed to the door with Desi and Imani following. Luke grabbed Desi’s hand and placed a kiss on it.

“Will you be joinin’ your mother at our house tomorrow?” Luke asked.  
“I wasn’t plannin’ on it but I guess I could”  
“Well then, I’ll be seein’ you tomorrow then darlin’”

Desi closed the door behind them and helped her mother clean up. 

“Now Desi, I want you to be careful around Luke. You already know how white boys are”  
“Oh lord mama. He ain’t thinkin’ ‘bout me. I’m just another worker to him an’ that’s all.”

Imani put the rag she was cleaning with down on the table.

“Listen to me Desi. I was ‘just a worker’ to your daddy too an’ you see what happened? Be careful”  
“Yes mama”

Desi looked out the window and saw her friends coming up the road. She asked her mother if she could go out with them.

“I guess ain’t no harm in that. Change outta your good clothes an’ shoes before you do”

Desi raced to her room and tore the clothes off of her body. She hung them haphazardly in her chifforobe. She placed her shoes back in the drawer and through on a pair of cut off shorts and a white t-shirt. She declined shoes and ran to the backdoor of the house. Dirt kicked up behind her as she ran to the front to meet her friends.

“Desi Bush, you runnin’ like somebody after you!” Yellow Jack called out.  
“Naw ain’t nobody after me. My mama just got a new job, so I’m a little excited”

Ruby was a beautiful brown shade with curly locks that framed her face. Her nose settled beautifully on her face and her full lips pulled into a smile. Boon was a dark chocolate man. His wide brown eyes had a sense of kindness behind them. Yellow Jack was a fairer than Desi. His mother and father, both being mulattos themselves, nicknamed him that because of his skin.  
Ruby pulled Desi into a hug. Boon and Yellow Jack patted her on the shoulder. They were like siblings to her. She’s known Yellow Jack and Ruby since she was in diapers. She met Boon while in town one day. Turns out his father had a thing for her mother back when they were in school.

“You up for a little adventure girl?” Boon asked.  
“Where y’all tryin’ to go?” Desi asked.  
“Just a short walk to Goons. There’s a small get together out there”  
“Whose is it?”  
“Some girl Yellow Jack been layin’ up wit. Her papa fixin’ ribs, chicken, corn, mustard greens, an’ macaroni” Ruby explained.

The group walked up the road, the sun beating down on their backs. They were used to the heat. Many times, they would help the elders in their community in their gardens or do other yard work to make extra money for going into town.

“Her papa also got Ray Charles an’ Ella Fitzgerald’s records. Whoo! It’s gon be some kinda party” Yellow Jack stated, fanning himself with his hat.  
“Ray Charles? You know I love me some Ray Charles”

Desi paused in the middle of the road and wiggled her hips a bit. Boon, Yellow Jack, and Ruby held their stomachs in laugher. Desi was always dancing. She was an amazing dancer, her friends just loved to pick with her.

“Girl you ain’t Josephine Baker. Put them hips of yours away” Ruby joked.

Desi threw her head back in laughter. The group continued on down the road. The heard a horn honking in the distance. Boon turned around and dropped his head. It was dark blue 1939 Austin 12 coming up fast. Boon immediately recognized the faces of the four men sitting in it. He grabbed onto Ruby and Desi’s hand and sped up.

“Un-ass me Boon” Ruby demanded.  
“Not until we get off the road” Boon growled.  
“I ain’t scared of no car full of white folks” Ruby snarled back.  
“You ain’t scared but I sho nuff am. I ain’t tryin’ to get shot today on account of you ‘not being afraid’ Ruby. Bring your ass on now”

But it was too late. The car pulled in front of them and cut off their path. Two of them got out of the car and headed towards Ruby and Desi. One of them looked over Ruby’s body in a way that made Desi shudder.

“Well well well, look what we have here”  
“It looks like we got us some beautiful brown girls Bobby”  
“I think you’re right, Zach. How about you un-ass them girls and let us take it from here boys”  
“Naw, we on our way Goons” Yellow Jack spoke up.  
“Ha! You boys don’t know how to treat a woman. You don’t take pretty girls like that to the slums of Goons. Ladies if you want a good time, come find me and Bobby. We’ll take good care of you” Zach tipped his hat.

Zach and Bobby took back off to the car and sped off. Yellow Jack coughed from all of the dirt that was kicked into the air.

“My mama always told me not to trust them white devils. They ain’t nothin’ but satan’s children.”

The group started back down the road. Desi took in how the sun light hit the trees. The different shades of chartreuse and evergreen colored their skin as the cut through the everglades to get to Goons. Boon pulled the tarp from the boat they kept hidden. The boat was their transportation to and from Goons, where most of their other friends resided.

“Y’all ready?”  
“Hell yeah. Come on now Boon, it’s too hot be sittin’ here in this heat. Row this boat now”  
“Whew, an’ my mama called the whites devils. She mustn’t know you that well Ruby Lee”  
“Aw shut up Boon”

Yellow Jack and Boon pushed the boat away the bank. They rowed at a steady pace that way they didn’t get overworked.

“Y’all need to just get hitched already” Desi huffed.  
“It’s you little Miss Desi. I see how Freddie Hicks be lookin’ at you”  
“I ain’t stuntin’ Freddie Hicks. He got three teeth missin’”  
“But he also got a car and a decent job working in the mines”  
“I don’t care what he got. I don’t want him. I want man that can play the guitar an’ can sing the blues to me” Desi explained dreamily.

The other three exchanged a look to one another and laughed.

“Good luck with that Desi. You know ain’t no young blues singers round here. You be better off going into the Quarter for that”  
“I ain’t touchin’ that Quarter. I can find me a good man here in Lake Charles or Goons”  
“Ain’t no good man in Goons or Lake Charles” Yellow Jack chimed in.  
“Well, you an’ Boon live here” Desi pointed out.  
“My point exactly darlin’. Good men go to heaven-“Yellow Jack started.  
“An’ bad men go everywhere else” Boon finished.  
“The only thing bad about you an’ Yellow Jack is your breath” Desi joked.

Boon scooped up some water and tossed it on her. Desi tried to cover her face with her hands. Some water landed on her legs and a little bit in her hair.

“You lucky you like a sister to me Desi. I wouldn’t put a sinner up against you”  
“Aw you love me Boon”  
“Yeah I do. I’d do anything for you an’ Ruby too”

Desi started to hear the music in the distance. Ray Charles’s voice floated over the water and to her ears. She heard the rambunctious laughter that came from alcohol and a good time. Her heart sped up. She couldn’t wait to make it to the end for her night to begin.


End file.
